Maryknoll facts for kids

Maryknoll is a Catholic group that helps people around the world. It's made up of four main organizations. These groups work together to send people called "missioners" to different countries. These missioners can be lay people (regular people not in religious orders), priests, brothers, or sisters. They all work to serve others and share their faith.

Where Maryknoll Started

In 1912, a group called the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America needed a bigger home. They moved their main office, or "headquarters," to a hill in Ossining, New York. They named this special place "Mary's Knoll." Over time, the name was shortened to "Maryknoll."

The Maryknoll Society was the very first Catholic missionary group started in the United States. Before this, the U.S. itself was seen as a place where missionaries were needed. Today, you can visit the Maryknoll Mission Center and Museum in Ossining.

Maryknoll even has its own Post Office! It has its own special zip code (10545). In 1921, a woman named Katherine Slattery, who later became Sister Margaret Mary, opened this Post Office. She had worked for the Postal Service before and became Maryknoll's first Postmistress.

The Maryknoll Family of Groups

Maryknoll is like a family with different branches, each doing important work. Here are the main groups:

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers

The Maryknoll Society, also known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, was started in 1911. This group is for men who want to dedicate their lives to God as priests or brothers. They serve people in many countries.

Maryknoll Sisters

The Maryknoll Sisters group began in 1912. It's for women who want to live a religious life and share the Maryknoll spirit of helping others. They also work as missioners around the world.

Maryknoll Lay Missioners

The Maryknoll Lay Missioners, often called MKLM, started in 1974. This group was first a joint effort between the Fathers and Brothers and the Sisters. In 1994, MKLM became its own organization within the Maryknoll family. It's for individuals and even families who want to serve as missioners. They help people who are less fortunate or living on the edges of society.

Maryknoll Affiliates

The Maryknoll Affiliates are for people who feel a connection to Maryknoll's mission and beliefs, even if they don't go on missions themselves. They meet in local groups around the world to support Maryknoll's work.

Maryknoll's Work Today

Today, "Maryknoll" is a general term for all four of these groups: the Lay Missioners, the Fathers and Brothers, the Sisters, and the Affiliates.

Maryknoll also has an Office of Global Concerns. This office works with the Lay Missioners, Fathers and Brothers, and Sisters. It helps Maryknoll leaders and missioners learn about and act on important issues. These issues include working for peace, making sure everyone is treated fairly, and protecting our planet.

Maryknoll Magazine

In 1907, a priest named Fr. James Walsh started a magazine called The Field Afar. He wanted to help people learn more about the Church's missions in other countries. A big part of the magazine was letters from the missioners themselves.

A woman named Mary Josephine "Mollie" Rogers helped Fr. Walsh choose, translate, and edit the many letters that arrived. After the Maryknoll Sisters group was founded in 1912, the sisters took over much of the work for the magazine. They helped produce and mail out The Field Afar. Maryknoll Brothers would then carry the mail bags to the train station in Ossining for delivery.

In 1918, the name "Maryknoll" was added to the magazine's title. When the magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary, the words "The Field Afar" were dropped. Now, Maryknoll magazine and its Spanish version, Revista Misioneros, are read by more than 330,000 people.